Triumph for Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal civic body polls

Kolkata: The TMC on Wednesday swept West Bengal’s civic polls, capturing four of the seven civic bodies that went to the polls, underlining chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s continuing hold over the state as the two main Opposition parties — the CPI(M) and the Con-gress — stood decimated.  

The TMC also managed to challenge a 10-year hold of the Gorkha Janmukti Mor-cha (GJM) in the hills.

The TMC won a decisive majority in Domkal, Raigunj and Pujali in the plains and Mirik in the hill area. “The hills are smiling,” CM Mamata Banerjee tweeted. “Congratulations to Ma Mati Manush for again & again putting their trust in us,” the leader said.

The GJM maintained its supremacy in the hills winning three municipalities: Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong.

The BJP, which has its eyes set on Bengal where it hopes to take the TMC on in the next Assembly elections, also failed to make a dent. State BJP president Dilip Ghosh said, “In the plains the elections were held at gunpoint and amid bomb explosions… votes were looted. That is why we demanded suspension of the polls. Still we succeeded in saving some wards. BJP fought till the end. We did not flee midway.”

State Congress president Adhir Chowdhury described the TMC regime as “autocratic”. CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty echoed his views.